Unconventional wisdom

What would you have to do, to Lose the big game? Considering the opposite of things helps you see and avoid false moves.

When it comes to corporate communications, I’ve learned that getting the core message right often means working backward.

Most companies start with what they believe makes them unique. That’s usually where the problem begins.

Before creating anything, I use an inversion exercise. I ask what makes their solution different, then I push further. What would make it indistinguishable? What would make a customer ignore it? What would make the message fail?

That’s where the truth shows up.

Inversion works as a way to pressure test assumptions. Instead of focusing on the desired outcome, you examine what would prevent it. Strip away the language, the positioning and the claims, then ask what remains.

More often than not, what’s presented as unique collapses under that scrutiny.

That’s the point.

Exploring the opposite exposes generic thinking, reveals weak differentiation and forces clarity where there was previously just confidence. The result is sharper messaging and more honest positioning.

This kind of thinking runs counter to how most organizations operate. Consensus feels safe. Familiar language feels proven. But when everyone agrees too quickly, it usually means no one has challenged the premise.

The idea itself isn’t new. Socrates used a method of questioning to expose contradictions and test beliefs. The goal wasn’t agreement. The goal was clarity.

When everyone sees the same thing, no one sees what’s missing.

Inversion forces you to look for what’s missing. It challenges what sounds right, surfaces what actually matters and creates space for sharper, more defensible ideas.

Take a few moments to disconnect. Step away from the noise and write down the main points. List the key ideas and even the individual words tied to the topic. Get everything out of your head and onto the page.

Only after you’ve exhausted your own thinking should you look outward. Search for the conventional wisdom. The weaknesses in your thinking will become clearer, and so will the ideas that stand apart.

Marie Kondo puts it simply: “We should be choosing what we want to keep, not what we want to get rid of.”

The same applies to messaging. Identify what truly matters, then remove everything that doesn’t support it. Clarity comes from selection and focus.

Considering the opposite sharpens that process. It shows what could go wrong, what might be ignored and what fails under pressure. Those observations point the way forward.

Inversion gives you a way out of habitual thinking. When you test ideas against their contradictions, new possibilities begin to surface.

Once you see them, it becomes difficult to go back to thinking the same way again.